Edward J. Hogan
Encyclopedia
Edward J. Hogan was a track and field
standout at the University of Notre Dame
in the early 1920s, under legendary coach Knute Rockne
. He placed in numerous track and field events and reportedly trained for the 1924 Olympics. Hogan's photograph is featured on Notre Dame's sports "Wall of Honor".
Earlier in his career, as a student athlete at Youngstown, Ohio
's Rayen School
, Hogan established a longstanding state record in the javelin throw
. Four decades after his high school
graduation, his image was included in Ohio
artist John Benninger's mural
of Rayen School history,which was recently removed from the former high school building for cleaning and restoration.
Hogan was born in Youngstown's Westlake's Crossing district, the third surviving son of Patrick J. Hogan, a "roller" at the Union Iron & Steel Company, and Mary (Cullinan) Hogan, an immigrant from Ballyallinan, County Limerick
, Ireland
.
Athletic competition was encouraged in the Hogan household. Edward Hogan's father, Patrick Hogan, had been a semi-professional boxer, and his uncle, Martin F. Hogan, was a former major league
pitcher
who managed the Youngstown Ohio Works
, a local minor league
team.
Hogan enrolled at The Rayen School in 1915. His earliest visibility was as a halfback
for the Rayen football team, where he played a decisive role in the school's victory over rival South High School. For all his success on the gridiron, however, Hogan's greatest feats were in track and field. The Rayen Record reported, in June 1917, that Hogan was part of the school's first "triumvirate" in track and field. During a field meet at Mt. Union College, on May 18, 1917, he helped Rayen secure third place in the state. He also threw the javelin
153 feet and eight inches, to establish a state record that stood for decades.
Following a stint in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War I
, Hogan enrolled at the University of Notre Dame, where he reportedly intended to play football under coach Rockne. Hogan's athletic career took an unexpected turn, however, when Rockne observed as Hogan demonstrated a pole-vaulting technique to a member of the school's track and field team. An impressed Rockne, who also coached track, informed Hogan that he was no longer a member of the football team. Hogan proved to be a strong and consistent performer on Notre Dame's outdoor varsity track team from 1921 to 1923, where he excelled at the pole vault
and broad jump.
In 1922, Hogan sustained an injury during practice that placed him in the infirmary. Nevertheless, when Notre Dame faced Wabash College
in Indianapolis
, on May 9, 1922, Hogan placed first in both the running broad jump (19 feet and 11 3/4 inches) and pole vault (11 feet and two inches). On March 10, 1922, during a meet with the University of Wisconsin
, in Madison
, he took first in the pole vault, clearing a height of 12 feet and three inches.
Named as a "monogram man" in his final season, Hogan won first place in the pole vault in a May 19, 1923, meet with Michigan Agricultural College, and tied for fifth in the broad jump at the Western Intercollegiate Meet, on June 2-3. According to the 1923 Notre Dame yearbook, The Dome: "Eddie Hogan, who consistently cleared the bar in the pole vault at twelve feet, accounted for many points during the season". Hogan was joined on the track team by his roommate Elmer Layden
, another versatile athlete who placed first in the 100-yard dash during the May meet with Michigan "Aggie". He is said to have trained for the 1924 Paris
Olympics but was injured during practice and did not participate.
Interestingly, Hogan's portrait on the University of Notre Dame's Wall of Honor is a graduation photo rather than an official sports portrait. Therefore, he is the only honored athlete to be shown wearing a mortarboard. (Hogan was reportedly ill on the morning that the official portrait was scheduled to be taken.)
, in a ceremony in South Bend, Indiana
. His best man was former teammate Layden. After graduation from Notre Dame's law program, Hogan settled in Canton, Ohio
, where he served as athletic director at the city's Knights of Columbus
facility and helped organize the Canton Catholic Youth Center. In 1927, he relocated to Los Angeles, California
, where he practiced law as a patent attorney. After the death of his first wife, in 1950, Hogan moved from South Gate, California
, to San Gabriel, California
.
On November 10, 1951, he married the former Ilo Artance Henriette Wilson. The couple had three children. In 1976, after a bout with lung cancer, Edward James Hogan died at Veteran's Hospital, in Long Beach, California
. Services were held in San Gabriel, and he was buried in Monterey Park, California
. His death was noted in his hometown, where many residents still recalled him as the youthful athlete who threw a decisive pass in the Rayen-South game 60 years earlier.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
standout at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in the early 1920s, under legendary coach Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
. He placed in numerous track and field events and reportedly trained for the 1924 Olympics. Hogan's photograph is featured on Notre Dame's sports "Wall of Honor".
Earlier in his career, as a student athlete at Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
's Rayen School
Rayen High School (Youngstown, Ohio)
Rayen High School was a public high school in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. At the time it was closed in 2007, it was of the three oldest high schools in the city...
, Hogan established a longstanding state record in the javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
. Four decades after his high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
graduation, his image was included in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
artist John Benninger's mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
of Rayen School history,which was recently removed from the former high school building for cleaning and restoration.
Formative years
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Athletic competition was encouraged in the Hogan household. Edward Hogan's father, Patrick Hogan, had been a semi-professional boxer, and his uncle, Martin F. Hogan, was a former major league
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who managed the Youngstown Ohio Works
Youngstown Ohio Works
The Youngstown Ohio Works baseball team was a minor league club that was known for winning the premier championship of the Ohio–Pennsylvania League in 1905, and for launching the professional career of pitcher Roy Castleton a year later...
, a local minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
team.
Hogan enrolled at The Rayen School in 1915. His earliest visibility was as a halfback
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Rayen football team, where he played a decisive role in the school's victory over rival South High School. For all his success on the gridiron, however, Hogan's greatest feats were in track and field. The Rayen Record reported, in June 1917, that Hogan was part of the school's first "triumvirate" in track and field. During a field meet at Mt. Union College, on May 18, 1917, he helped Rayen secure third place in the state. He also threw the javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
153 feet and eight inches, to establish a state record that stood for decades.
Notre Dame sports career
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Hogan enrolled at the University of Notre Dame, where he reportedly intended to play football under coach Rockne. Hogan's athletic career took an unexpected turn, however, when Rockne observed as Hogan demonstrated a pole-vaulting technique to a member of the school's track and field team. An impressed Rockne, who also coached track, informed Hogan that he was no longer a member of the football team. Hogan proved to be a strong and consistent performer on Notre Dame's outdoor varsity track team from 1921 to 1923, where he excelled at the pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
and broad jump.
In 1922, Hogan sustained an injury during practice that placed him in the infirmary. Nevertheless, when Notre Dame faced Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, on May 9, 1922, Hogan placed first in both the running broad jump (19 feet and 11 3/4 inches) and pole vault (11 feet and two inches). On March 10, 1922, during a meet with the University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, he took first in the pole vault, clearing a height of 12 feet and three inches.
Named as a "monogram man" in his final season, Hogan won first place in the pole vault in a May 19, 1923, meet with Michigan Agricultural College, and tied for fifth in the broad jump at the Western Intercollegiate Meet, on June 2-3. According to the 1923 Notre Dame yearbook, The Dome: "Eddie Hogan, who consistently cleared the bar in the pole vault at twelve feet, accounted for many points during the season". Hogan was joined on the track team by his roommate Elmer Layden
Elmer Layden
Elmer Francis Layden was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield...
, another versatile athlete who placed first in the 100-yard dash during the May meet with Michigan "Aggie". He is said to have trained for the 1924 Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Olympics but was injured during practice and did not participate.
Interestingly, Hogan's portrait on the University of Notre Dame's Wall of Honor is a graduation photo rather than an official sports portrait. Therefore, he is the only honored athlete to be shown wearing a mortarboard. (Hogan was reportedly ill on the morning that the official portrait was scheduled to be taken.)
Later years
On November 1, 1923, Hogan married the former Elizabeth Agnes Gottschalk, of Salem, OhioSalem, Ohio
Salem is a city in northern Columbiana County and extreme southern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. At the 2000 census, the city's population was 12,197....
, in a ceremony in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
. His best man was former teammate Layden. After graduation from Notre Dame's law program, Hogan settled in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, where he served as athletic director at the city's Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
facility and helped organize the Canton Catholic Youth Center. In 1927, he relocated to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where he practiced law as a patent attorney. After the death of his first wife, in 1950, Hogan moved from South Gate, California
South Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
, to San Gabriel, California
San Gabriel, California
San Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded by Junipero Serra. The city grew outward from the mission and in 1852 became the original township of Los Angeles County. San Gabriel was incorporated in 1913...
.
On November 10, 1951, he married the former Ilo Artance Henriette Wilson. The couple had three children. In 1976, after a bout with lung cancer, Edward James Hogan died at Veteran's Hospital, in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. Services were held in San Gabriel, and he was buried in Monterey Park, California
Monterey Park, California
Monterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future"...
. His death was noted in his hometown, where many residents still recalled him as the youthful athlete who threw a decisive pass in the Rayen-South game 60 years earlier.